Newberry Senior Drops 32; Women's Basketball Falls 70-57 to Wolves

MISENHEIMER, N.C. – Newberry senior Helen McKinney (Owensboro, KY) scored a career-high 32 points as the Wolves grabbed a 70-57 victory over Pfeiffer University in non-conference women’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon inside the Merner Gym. Newberry evens to 2-2 on the year while the Lady Falcons fall to 2-4.

Pfeiffer started the day off with an 11-2 run led by a Brittany Cox (Winston-Salem, NC) three and a combined 6-for-6 stretch at the charity stripe. Cox, along with Devona Knight (Woodbridge, VA) and Christina Harvey (Locust Grove, VA), each drained two early free throws for a fast 9-0 lead. From there, the Wolves would race out on a 14-4 run to grab their first lead of the day with 10:28 to play in the opening half.

Both sides traded the lead four times over the next four minutes until a jumper by McKinney started another 7-0 run. McKinney had the first five points in that sequence while Brittany Brown (Fort Myers, FL) converted a layup for a 33-26 Newberry lead with 3:10 remaining. Pfeiffer cut back into the Wolves’ lead with a triple by Knight and free throw by Cox to slice the deficit to two at the break.

A sloppy second-half start by the Lady Falcons led to a 10-point visitors lead after another basket by McKinney just over four minutes in. A layup by Cox and jumper by Harvey brought Pfeiffer within four with six minutes left, before Harvey made it a two-point game just eight seconds later scoring two more of her 10 points on the day.

With 3:27 to play, a free throw by Leanne Watson (Stone Mountain, GA) started a 9-0 Newberry run to seal the deal for the Wolves. Three-straight Lady Falcon turnovers sparked the run as Jessica Bearzatto (Melbourne, Australia) and McKinney each hit from long range for a 60-49 lead with 80 seconds to play. Over the final minute, the Wolves held on by converting all 10 free throws, four by Leeara Creet (Brisbane, Australia) and four by McKinney.

Behind McKinney, Creet was the only other Newberry player in double-figures scoring 10. Pfeiffer was led by Cox’s 18 points while Knight finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points. The Wolves shot 40% from the floor in the contest aided by a combined second half effort of 16-for-18 at the free throw line.

The Lady Falcons will get back to league action on Wednesday night traveling to Lees-McRae for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff in Conference Carolinas.